I HATE Driving

I really effing hate driving. I am already dreading our arrival at SFO on Friday and picking up whatever Kia Rio P.O.S. rental car I reserved. Perhaps it is the soul-draining traffic in the Bay Area, the a-holes that constantly cut you off or drive 3 mph in the fast lane, the environmental guilt I feel, the cost of gas and insurance......I could go on and on.

And this may make me sound like a severe alcoholic (not entirely false), what I mostly hate is that one of us can't drink if we drive somewhere. This is becoming an issue because we have two parties to go to on Saturday night when we are in the U.S. My problems are so monumental - not really.
 
You see, I have been taking the Tube for the last year and a half. While often crowded and not without it's own problems, I still love it (just don't get me started on how much I HATE seeing people eat on the Tube - so GROSS). Mass transit makes sense on a million levels, and talk about the most effective birth control ever. Dragging one kid/stroller on the Tube is feasible, that second kid/stroller is almost impossible, and a third is just simply not possible - unless you are Posh and have eight nannies or something, then I suppose you'd have a car. But I digress......

Living in London, you really take for granted that you can meet friends for drinks after work, have a bottle of wine with dinner, grab a mid-day beer at the farmer's market or movie theater (yes it's true you can drink at the movie theater - so awesome), and no one has to worry about drinking and driving and the subsequent DUIs, crashing, running over small children, etc.

So until we figure out a solution to our dueling-parties dillema for Saturday night when we are back in the U.S., it will probably end up being a "not it" contest. Ya know, where both of us shot-gun a glass of champers upon arrival at the first party and whoever finishes first is "not it", and doesn't have to drive. Presumably because you finished your glass first and are therefore, drunker.

Upon writing that I am realizing what a stupid game it is. So unless we can get two bikes (also a bad idea after cocktails), we will just have to figure something out. Damn you car friendly U.S.

Istanbul for Thanksgiving - a.k.a. Turkey on Turkey Day (Country#15)

Did I only plan a trip to Turkey for Thanksgiving just because I thought it would make a good blog title? Well Maybe. 

OK actually, I have wanted to go to Turkey for years, and it is only a 3 hour flight from London.

I really loved Istanbul. That is all there is to it. It felt exotic, cosmopolitan, ancient, and modern all at the same time. I thought I would feel out of place - seeing that I am a woman and all. I have heard stories about traveling to middle eastern countries, being really white and female - you can be made to feel self-conscious or uncomfortable. I thought I would feel out of place, or unwelcome. However, this was definitely not the case.

I was also worried about not being able to find a cocktail. Never fear - apparently, Dave is an expert at beer-finding in the shadow of a mosque. 

Seeing as we really only had 2 full days in town, we stuck largely to the Istanbul biggies:

The Blue Mosque  - This 400-year-old building is just beautiful, This is the first mosque I have ever been inside. I had to wear a veil and we had to take our shoes off to walk on the GIANT rug covering the floor.

Super cool.

The Hagia Sophia - Built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in 360AD, then became a Roman Catholic Church, then became a mosque. It has been a museum since 1935.

Inside the Hagia Sophia.

The Archaeological  Museum- the entry fee may have been the best $3 I have ever spent in my entire life. They have so much material, they don't even know where to put it. You would not believe the 2000-year-old columns and statues they placed in the outdoor areas and courtyards. There was just no where else to put them in the museum.

One of like a million cool tombs in the museum.

 

The Basilica Cistern - This was Dave's favorite because it was cave-like and underground. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that are located under Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century and supplied freshwater to the town and palace as late as the 19th century. Cool. 

  
The Grand Bazaar and Spice Market - Anything and everything you could want in an amazing, old maze of a space. Crowded and bustling, but I liked it (surprisingly). Dave thought it was Walmartish - whateva Dave.

 

Valens Aquaeduct - Built by the Romans in the 4th century and later restored and upgraded by the Ottomans. I love me some good ruins, and yes one of the main city roads goes right under the arches.

It is hard to be so self-important and serious about life when you are surrounded by ancientness like this.

Topkapi Palace - The worst $12 (plus another freaking $7 to see the harem buildings) each we spent in Turkey. I know, the palace is 400 years old and beautiful - but it was also really crowded. We went here after the Archaeological Museum, so we may have just been museumed-out.

The view was amazing though!

Nice.

 

We made time for immature funny business at the palace too.

Hearing the hauntingly beautiful call to prayer several times each day made you feel like you were not in Kansas anymore. They project the call to prayer from the loudspeakers atop the Mosques, how very modern. Here is a video from our hotel rooftop.

A few Tips for Istanbul........

Watch Your Cash

You can spend a lot or a little money there. It simply depends on your tolerance for the searching out cheaper restaurants and activities. Generally, in the tourist areas around the hotels and major sights, you will pay standard American/London prices for everything. Going cheap isn’t hard, it simply requires some walking and a bit of curiosity.

Make Sure Your Guidebook is Current

My guidebook was from the secondhand store, written in 1998 (whoops).

Do Your Hotel Research

Our hotel the Neorion Hotel (with their hammam, perfect location, amazing rooftop terrace, and free sunset drinks) was outstanding - at at about $100 a night, how can you go wrong. You can stay at the big chain hotels, but they are waaaayyyyy on the other side of the city. Do yourself a favor and just stay HERE!!!!

Watch the Sweets

I am not sure about the Turkish Delights and other sweets that are sold EVERYWHERE in this city, I just didn't quite get it. Dave seemed to think it had to do with the Muslims not drinking. Apparently, the Morons LOVE their sweets and ice cream too, and they can't/don't drink either. Interesting theory Dave. I suppose we all have our vices.

Who can I pawn these off on?

We are off to the US on Friday. Anyone want to run long on Sunday? Hills please! Rancho maybe?

Running Update

Well I am running again!

The plantar fasciitis in my right food has been behaving and, as long as I baby it, the metatarsalgia in my left foot is finally getting better. No pushing it for me though, I know I will pay. And it isn't as if I can take "time off" my feet here if something does flare up, which is probably why these injuries have lingered for so freaking long.

After all, I live in London and have no car. It is a long walk and lots of stairs to get pretty much anywhere I want or need to go. I bet that without even trying, I walk 5 miles per day. And I haven't worn heels (except for twice) since I moved here...... 

I have been running about 3 days per week, and between 5 and 9 miles per run. I got a new pair of very neutral Mizuno Rider running shoes (as opposed to my previous super-supportive Asics GT 2170s). I have weaned myself off my arch supports and supportive shoes, because I believe they do more harm than good for me personally based on my size and gait.

While I am not a barefoot running advocate, I do think there is a lot of BS marketing out there for the purposes of selling you $150 of relatively worthless shoes every 300 miles (for the record, I also think that 300 mile guideline is a giant load of crap too - but we love buying crap in the US, after all).

I like this article about running shoes (though you can pretty much think that you are in fact, a chicken and find some article online agreeing with your chicken-as-self premise). This is from that article:

Your basic running shoe design, ".....is based on a cushioning/pronation paradigm that simply is not as true as they want us to believe. That paradigm needs to be reevaluated. It’s not founded on good science but rather initial ideas that made sense with no science behind them, but upon further review may not stand up to testing."

Anyways, I figured this all out during my Trigger Point Dry Needling sessions (man I love that shit). My calf and foot prefer not to be controlled. And if you have any tight muscles that just won't work properly, give Trigger Point Dry Needling a try.

Why Amsterdam Rocks - Aside from the Obvi.....

We took a quick trip to Amsterdam over the weekend. It is less than an hour flight from London, which is made more than bearable thanks to KLM's random Dutch snacks and free mini-Heinekens.

I love Amsterdam! This may have something to do with the contact high one gets while strolling through the center of town, but it doesn't diminish the fact that the Dutch seem to enjoy life.

We met two friends over there and had a lovely time, but then it is hard not to enjoy Amsterdam with it's canals, architecture, and happy residents zipping about on their bikes.We had cool but dry weather, perfect for wandering the city.

Sometimes I hate going into museums when the whole city itself is a giant gorgeous museum, but I got cold (shocking) so we went to the Rijksmuseum. I saw my first Vermeer through the 20 or so dumasses fresh off the tour bus who EACH had to have several pictures of themselves with the effing paintings. WTF. This is one of my new pet peeves (and I have many): people who take photos of paintings in museums, but then I am becoming a really intolerant byotch in my old age.

In case you want to know, we stayed at the Hotel Plantage. It is about a 10 minute walk east of the town center, which is nothing for us hardy Londoners. On a really cool note, my recent German lessons helped me out on this trip. Dutch is a strange sounding language to an English speaker. And while the Dutch are all polyglots, if their English wasn't so good, chances are they knew some German. It was nice not to have to revert to always pointing and grunting.  

I know the Netherlands has their share of problems, but the Dutch have an appreciation for life that is SORELY lacking in the USA. You don't need a giant car, giant house, and lots of wasteful junk and expensive crap to be happy. You need time to enjoy life and ride your bike, the Dutch just seem to know this implicitly.

So here are a few Reasons Why Amsterdam Rocks:

• There is the obvious, marijuana smokers inside - dirty cigarette smokers outside. How civilized!
•  A Dutch appreciation for the art in the everyday; kitchen utensils, clothing, household bits, shoes - they are just so well designed and interesting. All just to make life pleasant.
• A staggering variety of beverages at the cozy cafes: mint teas (see photo), krieks and Belgian ales served in half-pint glasses, strange colored sodas, mulled wines, ciders, etc.  
•  The most amazingly involved fathers I have ever seen (outside of Denmark).
• An appreciation for "different" clothing, hairstyles, lifestyles - it's all good. The Gap would fail here.
• BIKE EVERYWHERE - kids, adults, really old peeps, dogs, babies.....they are all on bikes no matter the weather, and have the right-of-way over cars. LOVE! And no one is overweight in Amsterdam, unless they happen to be British or American tourists.
• Glorious, slightly tilted 17th century architecture.
• People don't use their cell phones in the restaurants and cafes, they talk to each other - sorry, I just have cell phone rudeness overload lately.
• Pets allowed inside cafes and restaurants, this is cool in most of Europe too (OK, I have seen it in the UK, France, and Austria).

 Well we are off to Turkey on Thanksgiving purely because I thought it would make a good blog title (get it, Turkey for THANKSGIVING). Then, we are off to the USA for a visit. More on that later.

On a final note.....does this seem like an Oxymoron? Talk amongst yourselves.

What's Up In Whitstable......Not a Whole Lot

We'll file this trip under "well, why the hell not". We took a 2-hour train ride from London to Whitstable to spend a weekend in a kitschy seaside town. Whitstable is located on the east coast of Britain on the North Sea, not too far from the mouth of the Thames.

I know what you are thinking, why would anyone go to the British seaside in November? Truth is, we have trips to Amsterdam, Istanbul, then the US coming up in the next few weeks. Neither of us could face an airport right now. Did I really just say that, I am so freaking SPOILED......

So here is what happens in British coastal towns pretty much year round: take the train in from London with throngs of people, you rent an overpriced shack on the beach (generally try to bring at least five family members you don't really like), you wear woolens and wellies to look the part, you eat seafood, you try to imagine it is not miserable, cold, and drizzly.

Our overpriced fishing shack, at least it was 10 feet from the water.

The little bar outside our shack, it might be nice if there was EVER a warm day.

Since it rained on Saturday, we had to find indoor activities so I didn't freeze. It was league day at the bowling alley so that was out, oddly there were two bowling alleys in this little town. So we walked in the rain, went to assorted pubs, and ate seafood. Oh AND we found the arcade and occupied ourselves the children's penny gambling games.

That is my own personal hell, choppy sailing in cold weather. Why.......

Fun times, look at those a-holes in their wellies checking out the tide pools.

Lunch was 25GBP, plus I sat 2 inches from the fireplace.

 

Of course, there are reasons why people come to Whitstable. They have the cutest little downtown ever with the most lovely non-chain shops. Why people go on vacation and shop at the Gap, I will never understand.......

We did get some sun on Sunday and cruzed the beach, checked out the Whitstable Castle (really lame), and ate more seafood. Can I just recommend Wheelers Oyster Bar to anyone that goes to Whitstable. It was the highlight of our trip. I'd take the train out just to eat there again.

Puppets freak me out, I don't know why.

 

I look cold, because I was cold.

Dave in his happy place at Wheelers Oyster Bar.

Wrong email address a "teachable moment"?

A few weeks ago I got an email from what seemed to be a mother of a high school aged girl.  The mother sent me an email thinking that I was her daughters teacher  Ms. Ashton.  I thought the note was a little provocative and aggressive so I decided to write back as the teacher to see what this "helicopter mom's" response would be.  Below is the exchange so you can make up your own mind....(I changed the name of the student to Crystal Hodkins for dramatic effect and to protect the innocent?)


Subject: Crystal Hodgkins

Dear Ms. Ashton,
I am a bit concerned and a little perplexed about Crystal's grade in your class. Can you give me a little insight into why she does not understand the material you are presenting to the class? She is an honors student, and this is neither an honors class nor an AP class, yet she is failing tests. I am truly baffled. I am aware this is an advanced class, but this class does not count for college credit, it is an elective. I am presuming you don’t expect the students to already have mastered the concept of philosophy before taking the class. They are there to learn it.

She is considering dropping the class because she is doing poorly. I am hopeful that you would desire for your students to be successful under your instruction so, can you give me an idea of how she can be successful?

Any insight you can give me would be appreciated.
Thank you fro your time,
Barbara Hodgkins



After reading this, discussing briefly with Amie over the weekend I responded after drinking four beers with the below.  (Amie did some light copy editing so my lack of grammar skills that any teacher should have wouldn't give me away).  I point this out only to implicate her in this debacle and having had the ability to stop me if I was way out of line.



Subject: RE: Crystal Hodgkins

Mrs. Hodgkins,

I appreciate your interest and ongoing support for Crystal's education, unfortunately it's not the norm for parents to be so active and overbearing with regard to child's education. On that note, I must point out a few things in response to your email:

1. Yes - Crystal is here to learn philosophy, and as you point out, is in an advanced but not an AP class,
2. Your interest in finding a way to help Crystal both digest and understand the content is the goal and commendable.

Those two points made, I must insist that we do the following.

Please have Crystal actually attempt to read and think about the material. This isn't a memorization course and her ability to internalize, relate to, and navigate through the ambiguous concepts is part of the learning process. She seems to want to memorize facts and regurgitate them with little thought about their meaning.

Second, I want to address the conflicting message this email conveys. While you do generally seem interested in Crystal's development, the email you sent seems a tad condescending and antagonistic. Suggesting she drop the course because of some failure on my or the courses part seems misdirected. I am all giving Crystal what she needs to learn, but simultaneously worry that your intervention here is a systemic pattern that may inhibit her growth on the path to full adulthood. She needs to learn to solve her own problems in life and you, sadly, won't be around forever to get her out of a jam. This is all a part of her journey, not yours.

I'd suggest you two sit down, discuss this and any other topic Crystal needs to address, and have her (not you) come up with a plan of action. I'll assist as I can, but Crystal needs to find her own way forward.

With utmost respect for you and Crystal,

Ms. Ashton



After sending I must admit that I felt some guilt for meddling in the life of this mother and more importantly the teacher.  Had my "joke" gone to far?  Had I done the mother a favor by telling her how it is?  Had I done the teacher a favor by getting the mother off her back?

Feeling this guilt I sent this email thread to a friend who is a teacher, MA.   Referencing my guilty feeling I informed her that I thought I should write back and inform the mother that she got the wrong person and that I am not only not her daughters teacher but some jackass living in another country that failed philosophy myself?  She informed me to let sleeping dogs lie, so I did.

Mrs. Hodgkin's did respond to me briefly.  I'll save the content of that email for another post as you help me decide if I'm evil or not.  At some point in the not too distant future I imagine the parent teacher conference where Mrs. Hodgkins and the real Ms. Ashton will meet face to face to discuss the grade and future of Crystal.

Ms. Ashton will be oblivious to this email thread and if a fight ensues it will undoubtedly be my fault.  If and when that email comes, you'll all be the second to know.

With some level of guilt,

FlyingMonkey*

*who was a poor student, is not a parent and is full time soap box spewer of things he knows nothing about.

Angular Cheilitis = Awfulness

I very recently had a case of angular cheilitis (a.k.a. perleche) creep up on me. This is the second time while living in London, I never had it in the US.

It is disgusting. For me, the angular cheilitis is brought on by cold weather. I get cold sore looking things at the corners of my mouth. They start to heal at night. Then in the morning or when you open your mouth at all, they crack and bleed = infection starts and spreads out. Mine wasn't as bad as that photo, but you get the idea.

When I had angular cheilitis last year, it got really bad. I decided to be dude-like and I didn't go to the doctor. NOT THIS YEAR, I immediately went right over the SOHO walk-in clinic (no wait, and completely free - I could get used to National Health Care). The second the nurse practitioner saw me, she said I had a vitamin/mineral deficiency. She game me a vitamin and mineral supplement - the minerals are the really key part - and a tub-o-Vaseline. Nothing fancy.

That's it, a vitamin/mineral deficiency? I thought she was crazy. I'm not dieting or anything weird like that. I am really healthy, so there! But then I started thinking about the missed dinners (remember, "eatin is cheatin" here in London), the poor snacking habits since we NEVER have a stitch of food in the house, and the hard workouts I had been doing, and thought, well maybe......

It seems for me, the condition is brought on by:

• Cold weather
• Poor diet (specifically lacking riboflavin, zinc, and especially iron)
• Hard running and swimming workouts

This bastard infection can be stubborn! Google "angular cheilitis" and you will get a million stories, products, and home remedies. I have read about them all. After learning my lesson last year when the infection got so bad I didn't want to go outside, I followed the nurse practitioner's advice exactly (and any comments from my husband on the Vaseline and he will get punched):

• Wash the lower part of my face with a tiny bit of mild dish soap before bed
• Vaseline-up my lips and surrounding area after washing with the dish soap
• ALWAYS keep Vaseline on hand and make sure to slather frequently
• Take a quality vitamin AND mineral supplement diligently every day on an empty stomach

So after some fits and starts over the last month or so (it can take a while for the body's iron stores to replenish), my face is almost better. Again, I have to be really diligent with moisturizing, especially if I am outside in the cold. I have also cut out any junk like popcorn, candy, croissants (unless in France bien sur), breads, and some fresh fruit. I replaced it all with high iron and nutrient foods, such as eggs, nuts, dried fruits, meats, shellfish, etc. I am also trying to make sure I eat 2-3 solid MEALS, instead of snacking, since I tend to get more protein and high-nutrient foods incorporated that way.

Anywho, sorry if this is TMI. I just thought it might help someone else, because the condition really sucks to have.

Now You Wouldn't See That in the USA

I was at the grocery store tonight. Walking the isles with my head down (I HATE the grocery store), I was thinking how so much of London is so similar to much of the USA. I could have been at any Safeway in California. Then I noticed a few differences that sort of struck me......

No Chocolate Chips: I am serious, there isn't any blueberry muffin mix either. There were 22 different kinds of raisins, sultanas, and dried fruits in the baking section where the Toll House chocolate chips should be. I just don't get excited about dried fruit bits in anything I bake. I had to buy the sad little mini-bags of what will probably be sad little chocolate chips. I am just glad I found them in the corner of the baking/candy section. I am making the cookies for a party with some actual British people. They won't know what do to with our cookies (a.k.a. biscuits), I have a feeling.

Fireworks for Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) at the GROCERY STORE (Don't tell Dave): I suppose that perhaps in southern states or Wyoming and Idaho, you could maybe get fireworks in the grocery store parking lot around the 4th of July as a special thing. Here in London, you can buy and shoot the damn things off whenever and wherever you please, than you very much. Of course, no one does. Maybe because we are all packed like sardines in this city and there is nowhere to set them off that wouldn't start a fire or completely piss off your neighbors - who can see everything you do since (again) we all live on top of each other. 

Darwin on the $10 Bill: Can you imagine the shit storm in the US over something like that. I definitely appreciate the European religious pragmatism (or really, the lack of religion - excluding Poland and Ireland, of course). It's refreshing that politics is about politics, but I digress.

Eggs - Not Refrigerated Here: This probably has to do with the total shit conditions in which the majority of chickens are kept in the USA - all to give us cheap, flavorless eggs. OK, I actually heard they just keep longer when refrigerated. Also, in the USA we wash the natural protective coating from eggs. Thus, they can go rotten more quickly and need to be refrigerated. Weird. 

Don't get me started on eggs though......

OK you got me started, this is from Local Harvest:

• Grass-fed/pastured hens are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept in confinement and fed primarily grains. Eggs from pastured hens contain up to 20 times more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than those their less fortunate cousins, factory hens. 
• Pastured hens' diets are naturally complemented with bugs, earthworms, and other such critters that give their eggs a huge nutritious oomph. Although not necessarilly organic, pastured hens are usually much healthier and happier than their space-restricted and antibiotic-pumped industrial cousins.
• Pasturing is the traditional method of raising egg-laying hens and other poultry. It is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the tastiest, most nutritious eggs. 
• Pastured eggs also have 10 percent less fat, 40 percent more vitamin A, and 34 percent less cholesterol than eggs obtained from factory farms.